Opinion: The Five Games That Would Make The 3DS Perfect

Who would have predicted the drastic turnaround of the 3DS? The handheld has quietly gone from a gimmick powered laughing stock to home of one of the best libraries of any system in recent memory. 2013 alone brought in some amazing heavy hitters, and in fact many of my personal game of the year contenders were on 3DS. From Fire Emblem: Awakening to Pokemon X&Y, Luigi’s Mansion 2 to Bravely Default  – last year truly was the year of Nintendo’s handheld. While the 3DS has already received entries from amazing series like Kingdom Hearts, Resident Evil, Monster Hunter and Zelda ,we gamers are an ungrateful and insatiable bunch – and here are the titles that would go a long way to (briefly) shutting me up.

You can read Adam’s Xbox One list here, Dan’s PS4 dreams here, Sean’s fantastical Wii U hopes here, and Mick’s third-party list here.

The World Ends With You Two

If you’ve never played it, try the iOS version

Before the days of mobile gaming, Square Enix would pride itself on its ability to make unique and enthralling RPGs – and there are few Squeenix RPGS as delightfully bonkers as The World Ends With You. Set in modern day Tokyo, you played as Hip hop loving Neku as he battled to fight his way out of the curse he found himself inflicted with. The game’s unique battle system required you to fight in two different worlds simultaneously, with one battle taking place on the touch screen and the other battle being held on the top screen while being controlled by the D-Pad. It was disorienting-ly amazing.

The visuals and story were some of the best on the DS, and the recent iOS port of the game and the character’s appearance in Kingdom hearts show that Square are still aware of the brand’s existence – which gives me hope to cling on to.

The memorable characters and great battle system have stayed with me long since I beat the game many years ago, and this classic is more than deserving of a sequel on Nintendo’s current handheld. Some great streetpass implementations could be used here, Tokyo’s Shibuya district would really come to life in 3D – and the game’s thumping soundtrack would finally get the audio quality it deserves. Stop diverting all your resources to free to play games and make it happen Square!

Metroid Prime

At some point, somebody has to make a new Metroid

Yes, Metroid Prime. While a 2D Metroid would be the obvious choice for Nintendo’s handheld, you may have noticed that there aren’t exactly many shooters on the 3DS. In fact, not many would actually be a rather large understatement – as there are currently no first person shooters on the system. Not a single one. While there are a few shooters currently in the works (both of which are being developed by Renegade Kid), it’s time for Nintendo to change that. Nintendo proved with Metroid Hunters that an FPS can work on their handhelds, and with Resident Evil Revelations showing what the 3DS can do when it comes to realistic graphics – a Metroid FPS on the system seems like a no brainer.

Given the 3DS’ success and the lack of use of the Metroid IP, now is the perfect time to unleash a kick ass Metroid FPS and expand the handheld’s western audience. Who knows, it may even shift some of everyone’s favourite frankestien-esque peripheral, the loveably weird circle pad pro.

Golden Sun

RPG Heaven

Aside from Pokemon and Mario & Luigi, there was one RPG on the GBA that got me hooked like no other – and that game was Golden Sun. While the DS sequel didn’t exactly set the world on fire, the original was so far ahead of its time that I’m sure a 3DS entry would be welcomed by many with open arms. Aside from the amazing Bravely Default, and the 3DS port of PS2 classic Tales Of Abyss – the 3DS is lacking on the RPG front, and a new Golden Sun would go some way to changing that.

The unique art style of the original would really come to life when rendered in 3D, and the series knack for interesting puzzles is something that still continues to separate it from its peers today. Bravely Default has come along and reinvented the JRPG, and raised the bar pretty high for portable RPGS – and now I’m hungry for more. So go on Nintendo, invest in another Golden Sun – its what the people crave.

Or maybe I just need some lunch. Who knows.

F-Zero

Still plays great

Where would a Nintendo list be without the obligatory mention of F-Zero? While in some respects this would make more sense on the Wii U, the 3DS is crying out for some good serious racers. While Mario Kart 7 and Sonic Racing Transformed are great karting fun, Ridge Racer 3DS really, really wasn’t – and the handheld has been crying out for competent non-kart racing ever since. But why F-Zero? Well, WipEout made the PSP for me, it was by far my most played game on the system and really showed off the system’s graphical potential– and I think F-Zero could do exactly the same for the 3DS.

The great soundtracks, the insane speed and the memorable characters would bring something completely unique to the handheld, and the prospect already has me foaming at the mouth. A serious hardcore futuristic racer with local and online multiplayer would be a great fit for the 3DS’s library, and streetpassing your ghosts to race against would seal the deal. It just makes too much sense.

Advance Wars

I blame Fire Emblem

If you owned a GBA and never played this game, then hang your head in shame.  This turn based strategy game oozed with charm and cutesy anime characters, but beneath the colouful visuals lurked an insanely deep and brutally challenging war simulator. Lining up your different units in the right way to conquer your enemy was an awesome experience, made even better by the amazingly drawn combat animations. Redone on 3DS, the game would look and play incredibly. Forget the D-Pad – now you place units with the touchscreen. Local multiplayer is fun, but imagine having team battles online a-la Pokemon X and Y.. I’m already drooling at the possibilities.

Fire Emblem: Awakening was made by the same developer as Advance Wars and is a  masterpiece in game design, which showed that the 3DS is a perfect fit for the genre. There is so much potential for Streetpass in Advance Wars, too. Picture popping on the tube and having to fight a new army with recruit able generals or special moves that you could earn in battle – gaming perfection.

Given that hardcore games of all genres are appearing on the 3DS, Nintendo’s handheld seems to be more of a spiritual successor to the Game Boy Advance than the DS. And what game would be more fitting to recapture that audience than a sequel to the GBA’s greatest game.